A wise word to politicians, elitists, looters and other thieves from among the living.

Ephesians 4:28

"He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need."

Indulge me for a moment while I jump around a bit!

CAN man rule himself?......or does he require another entity to rule over him? Or, for the sake of mankind, does he require submission to another entity?

This was the question put forth at the beginning of "The Great Experiment," the United States of America, the last Hope of the World. 

For over 100 years, the kings of England had been stealing from the economy of a far away land, inhabited by groups of European descendants searching for freedom from tyranny. 

As they grew in number and strength, and as self-destructive as it was, those who survived gained their freedom. 

A pact was made between them and their Creator. They declared it to the rest of the world and invited those with the similar yearnings to come join them. And so birthed a new nation. The likes of which has never existed before among mankind. 

But the questions about the rules of rulership go unanswered. As long as there are those who want to be ruled over, there will be men who will oblige. And wherever there are power-thirsty men who are compelled to rule over others, there will be those willing (or forced) to submit. 

I believe the bulk of the issue comes to this: Are you willing to submit and be ruled by The Creator of ALL things? If you are, the question of ruling yourself or any other man or group of men is not an issue. 

My prayer for Americans is that they will elect "leaders" who will return to the Constitution and allow free men, under God, to live, and move, and have their being. 

For we are complicated beings. We have needs.....hopes, dreams, and desires and "stuff".....but an underlying need to be free and help others to be free, and to share freely from our abundance, without force, or coercion, or compliance to another man's rules. 

The hope of a new and better life is found within all of us. Its manifestation will be seen either here or in eternity, depending on Who or what you put your trust in. 

There's only One Truth. What is yours based on?

Sincerely,

Lorenzo Lackluster

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I wonder how many.......

I wonder how many home builders would still be in business and how many families would still be in their homes if stimulus money hadn't been handed out so foolishly to big men, big business, and big lawyers, parasites and cronies.

Furthermore, how much more could hard working private sector Americans enjoy the fruits of their labor if the vanity of large government were eliminated?

What if the futile, useless, frivolous, needless overpaid government employees were put to work in the private sector where they would have to be productive in order to receive a paycheck?

Or what if Congress (perhaps ALL of DC?) and all staff were paid according to the average American income, benefits, and retirement?

What if criminals and perverts weren't allowed into any type of political office or related positions except at prisoner pay?

What if prisoners had to sleep in tents, eat from prisoner-tended gardens and farms, work at jobs that produce viable goods and services for surrounding communities, and be shot for non-compliance and immoral behavior?

And while I'm on the subject of waste, since I seem to see so much of it in my profession, what if we recycled lumber and metals from demolition projects and storm damage? Did you notice the huge piles of usable lumber thrown in with downed trees and limbs from the recent tornado cleanup?

It just occurred to me that too much of the problem of waste in government is due to a "Looter" mentality. "What's in this for me?" or "How much can I get away with?" or "Nobody's going to miss this!"

Why were there no reports of looting after the tsunami destruction in Japan? There's more "Trouble in River City" than meets the eye. There's a deep-rooted moral issue involved and it all stems from an innate and self-destructive mechanism we call Selfishness!

We can call it ego, a thirst for power, arrogance, greed, rich envy, poverty, pity parties or other excuses, but it's all selfishness.

What are your thoughts?

Quoting my daughter and grandson.

As we were leaving for the San Jose airport this morning from our daughter's home in Hollister, CA, part of the breakfast table conversation went like this. -

Oliver (5yrs): "I wanna fly in an uh airplane!"

Jessica (his mother): "You have to get a job, first!"

Just saw Miss Wyoming walk by in the Denver airport.

She smiled at me as she went past our table. I knew it was her because she was sporting a cowboy hat, really short skirt, fancy spurs on her boots and a shoulder-to-waist diagonal sash that read "Miss Wyoming". I could have sworn she winked at me, but that may have been my imagination.

As I watched her disappear into the sea of fellow fliers, I noticed heads turning to do the same thing I was doing. I turned back to Nell. She was still texting and had not seen what I'd just been witnessing, so I immediately told her. "Was she pretty?" she asked!

Not wanting to appear star-struck, I answered, "Yes, you could say she was pretty, but what I noticed most about her was how her warm and friendly smile radiated the atmosphere, and how her countenance and the way she walked and carried herself spoke volumes of her extreme intelligence and strong insatiable desire for World Peace! She probably sings like an opera star, is astute in piano and plays the harp like an angel. I was left with a secure feeling of knowledge in my heart and soul that she had a very bright and promising future. I'm quite sure she'll change the world in some unique way."

Just kidding! I told Nell she was very pretty!

Serious Patio Time

It's Wednesday, April, 13th, 6:00 PM, my youngest son's 27th birthday. The sun is shining, but I'm sitting in the shade on our East patio. The leaves are popping out everywhere. The flowers are blooming and the wind is NOT blowing. The birds are singing and the squirrels are hiding. (I don't put up with squirrels in my yard.....ask anyone who knows me well.)

The symphony is playing behind me (on CD) and my wine glass is full......at least it was when I sat down. It's times like these that make me so appreciative of God's Grace and Goodness. Welcome to Spring!

~ This message has been sent to you from Larry's iPhone ~

Meeting Your Destiny

"Sometimes a man meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it." - The Internationalist

Perhaps, because the road we took to avoid it WAS our destiny, thereby, not avoiding it at all!

Similar to sleep, I guess. We can do our best to deny it or run away from it, but sooner or later we find ourselves back at the place we were trying to avoid. I have a date with destiny every night. Something I'm more and more appreciative of as the years pass. Sweet Dreams!

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Heavy Snow Predicted for the Ozarks.

The New Farmer's Almanac predicted 31 inches of snow for the Ozarks for March 26, 2011. This is what we got. I reckon they weren't completely wrong. Poor little Lily. She's doing fine, btw! As are her two sisters, not too far away. In fact, they don't seem to even remember the chill of that morning.

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Still wet behind the ears.

One sign of maturity is being able to take a shower without getting ANY water on the bathroom floor.

Having owned a remodeling company for dozens of years, I know as well as anyone, what excess water does to building structures. Bathroom floors aren't designed to perform as swimming pools. And even swimming pools eventually leak and need repair. The best way to preserve a bathroom floor is to keep the shower and bath water INSIDE the shower or tub!

Small children are sometimes pretty wild in the tub. Mine were. Set a good example for them by drying the floor when they're done and teach them to do it themselves as they grow. If they prefer to shower, teach them how to seal the shower curtain against the wall. If YOU don't know how, figure it out. It doesn't take but a few drops everyday to break the caulking seal at the edge of the floor, which then travels under the floor and eventually into the framing members.

Some adults seem to feel the need to step out of the shower or tub dripping wet, shaking off the excess water like a canine. Try this. If you're unable to dry off in the tub or shower, wait a few moments before stepping out. This will allow most of the water to run off your body. Then use an extra towel on the floor. It's much less expensive to wash towels than to replace a bathroom floor.

It's your choice. The average bathroom remodel is about $8,500 nationwide. That would buy a LOT of towels!

I myself do nothing. The Holy Spirit accomplishes all through me. ~ William Blake

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A queen bee lays about 1,500 eggs on an average day. Good Grief! When does she have time to make them?

Cheese closes the stomach and should always be served at the end of a meal.

My wife's parents recently celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. That's a pretty big deal! So, obviously, we had a party. The slide show below captures some of the goings-on during the last weekend of January, 20011. A tall handsome WWII pilot from Kansas and a pretty little college student from Texas found each other those many years ago and decided to give it a go. And go they did! The same speed as everyone else, but they went a heck of a lot further than most. Congratulations, to Jay and Nelda Holt.

Velly Intellesting! How does one get his name in the Book?

Revelation 20:15

"Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire."

See it at YouVersion.com:

http://bible.us/Rev20.15.NIV

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"Lookin' Out My Front Door" ~ For over ten years , I've queried friends and strangers alike as to the species of this blossoming tree. Anybody?

Some say it's a Tulip, but a true Tulip tree has large leaves that resemble the palm of your hand with three points where your fingers would be. Last week, a friend said it was a Summer Magnolia. "You mean, as opposed to a year-round Magnolia, like the one across the street?", I responded. "I guess so!" said he.

Still unsure. I have one in back with identically shaped blossoms, but its color is all white, rather than the purple and white "Orchid" decor. Unfortunately, the wind wrecked havoc for 3 days and 53% of the flower petals are scattered around the yard and piled in the corners of the patio. Sure smells good out there, though!

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On Being a Kid Again

Remember when it was so easy to be a kid? It's because we didn't know any thing else. We were innocent. Most of us, anyway. Although, the more people I get to know, the more I wonder about that. As we grow, physically, mentally, emotionally and a plethora of other ways, we find it increasingly more difficult to climb back into the "Kid Mold". (see photo)

One easy way to get there, though, is to spend a weekend with safe, solid, intimate friends. The kind you'd trust with your life.....and your wife. It helps a lot if you and they go "way back," as the old timers used to say. (I've only READ that they used say that.)

Are there some good, healthy, stable people from your past that would still be good for you today? Perhaps some new, fun, hilarious, crazy, carefree, child-like experiences are in your future. You're never to old to be a kid again! It may not fit the first time, but keep trying. It makes a great vacation, and you don't have to travel very far!

Such was our weekend with our friends from 30 years ago. Thank you, Don and Barb!

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A Decision to Celebrate

If you read my previous post, you'll know know the reason for this one. I DID decided to laugh....and then decided to celebrate. (see photo) It's not my preferred way to celebrate, but, considering the circumstances, it's not bad. "Sugar is the Devil" so say my daughters. But I do this in moderation. We won't live forever, you know? At least, not on THIS earth. Man, that stuff is good!!!!!

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New "Personal Best"

I set a new "Personal Best" at the gas pump today and wasn't sure if I should celebrate, complain, curse, cry or call my congressman. (see photo)

I finally realized that I'm old enough to know that none of those options would ever change the circumstances. There are certain situations beyond our individual control.  There are certain institutions that are beyond our belief.  And there are certain elites that are beyond our reach and not worthy of our individual or collective attention. 

Perhaps it would be a good time to laugh!!!!

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